Good Words Speak Near and Point Far; Good Ways Hold Little and Reach Wide

“Good words speak of what is near yet point far; a good way holds to what is simple yet reaches widely.” The sentence comes from Mencius, Jinxin II. Here zhi means “purport”; yue is what is concise or fundamental, while shi bo means broad application. The passage continues with the gentleman speaking from what is close at hand, cultivating himself and affecting the world, then criticises people who neglect their own field while weeding another's. Its point is not to dress grand doctrine in a small anecdote. Far-reaching claims should be intelligible through nearby facts, and wide effects should grow from principles that can actually be kept. Today it offers a test for public language: the larger the judgement, the more clearly it should show where it touches ordinary reality, rather than merely assigning responsibility elsewhere.

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